Pneumatic action.



A. acusmsou. PNEUMATIC ACTION.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8,1914.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADOLPH PETER GUSTAFSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO M. SCHULZ 00., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PNEUMATIC ACTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 8, 1916.

Application filed June 8, 1914. Serial No. 343,747.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AnoLPH P. GUs'rAF- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Pneumatic Actions, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to pneumatic actions capable of being used in certain types of musical instruments, as for example player pianos and piano players, and also capable of other uses.

Prominent objects of the invention are to provide an advantageous construction of pneumatic action; to simplify the same, reducing the number of parts and avoiding complication in structure; to secure a high degree of accuracy and efficiency; to reduce the cost of construction and installation; to permit easy and ready access to the parts and dissassembling of the action for the purpose of repair and replacement; and to secure the foregoing and other desirable results in a simple and expeditious manner.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section of a pneumatic action embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a top plan of a portion of the same with certain parts broken away for convenience of illustration; and Fig. 3 is a bottom plan of a portion of the same.

In the drawings I show a pneumatic action conveniently consisting of three members Ai&\, arranged one above the other, as shown in Fig. 1. Each of these parts or action members or chests supports a plurality or row of pneumatics 13-13. The arrangement shown is intended for use in a player piano, the members A-A being sufficient to carry pneumatics B for all of the notes of the piano which it is intended to operate and said members A being also of sufficient length to provide space for valve mechanisms for controlling said pneumatics. The pneumatics B are shown conveniently provided with projections C which are adapted to engage projections D on different vertically arranged rods or stickers E, whereby the piano action may be operated in the usual way by the pneumatic action. It will be understood of course, that the pneumatic action is capable of use for other purposes than in connection with a player piano or piano player.

Each action member or chest A is conveniently constructed of a board or member 1, which extends longitudinally of and forms the principal part of said action chest A. This board or member 1 is provided at intervals along its top with apertures or recesses forming valve chambers for valves 33. The upper walls of valve chambers 2:2 are desirably formed by disklike members H conveniently consisting of pasteboard disks having central apertures 5 which serve as air ports under the control of the valves 3 Ducts or passages 6-6 extend from the valve chambers 22 downwardly to the lower surface of the board or member 1, opening into and communicating with apertures 77 in the tops of the pneumatics B whereby continuous passages are formed from said valve chambers 2-2 to the interiors of the several pneumatics B-B. Preferably there are two such passages or ducts 6-6 from each valve chamber 2*? as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, whereby a large and amply sufficient passageway to insure quick and instantaneous action is established between the several valve chambers and the interiors of the pneumatics.

A longitudinally extending groove or recess 9 is provided in the under surface of the board 1, such groove or recess forming a windway understood to be connected with the wind inducing apparatus, the under side or wall of which windway is formed by cross boards 1010. Aperturcs or ports 1111 are formed between the valve chambers 22 and said windway 9, said apertures being preferably provided with metallic thimbles or sleeves 12-12 having upwardly extending angular beads 13-13 forming seats for the valves 33.

Small valve controlling or puppet pneumatics 14 are secured in position within the windway 9. The swinging leaves of these pneumatics 14, that isthe under leaves, are provided with rods 15 which have bent ends 16 extending up through the sleeves 12 and fitting into apertures in the under sides of the valves 3-3. Passages or ducts 17 are formed in the board 1 communicating with apertures or openings 18 in the upper members of the pneumatics 1 1, said ducts or passages 17 also communicating with small chambers or recesses 19 formed in the upper surface of the board 1. Tracker tubes 20, understood to extend to a tracker board, are fitted to the board 1, as for example by bcing inser'ed in the side apertures or sages Q1 communicating with the chambers 19. Small metallic cups 2 2 are set in openings formed between the chan'ibers 19 and the windway 9, said cups having small blood ports The chambers 19 are closed by small disli's 24lsecured to the upper surface of the board 1, which disks may con veniently be made of some suitable fabric, made or stamped in circular form and glued and shollacked to the upper surface of the board 1.

Thus it will be seen that normally the pneumatics B-B are in an expanded condition because of the communication of their interiors with the outside air through the ducts or passages 6-6 and ports 5 5. When, however, a perforation in the music sheet passes over the tracker board and air is admitted to a tracker tube 20, such air obtains access to the interior of the corresponding puppet pneumatic 1i, thereby causing the o5: 3311Sl0l1 of said pneumatic, the result of which is that the valve 3 is lifted and closes its port 5 and opens the port 11 leading to the windway 9. whereupon the air is immediately exhausted from the pneumatic B by way of the passages 6 6 andthe port or passage 11. Thus the pneumatic B is collapsed and the corresponding piano action is operated.

As a preferred arrangement the under surface of the board or member 1 and the boards 10-10 are inclined to the horizontal, as shown in Fig. 1, so that the angularity of the pneumatics B is compensated for, permitting the under side of said pneumatics to be horizontal or substantially so. The board 1 is jnreferably provided with projecting posts 27 supporting thumb screws 28 carrying abutments 29 adapted to cooperate with projections 30 on which are hinged ends of the pneumatics for permitting an adjustment of said pneumatics to the striking actions of the piano.

A layer of fabric 32 is preferably interposed betwecn the pneumatics and the cross boards or strips 1010 so as to serve to make an air tight joint between the strips 1010, said strips being separated from one another by spaces 10 10 as shown in 3. The layer of fabric 32 closes said spaces 10*10 but may be removed in whole or in part to permit access to the 'pneumatics 1 bit by stripping off the whole or a portion of said fabric. In Fig. 3 a portion of the fabric is shown stripped off enough to open the two spaces l010 shown in said figure and to permit access to the pneumatics 14: therein. When access is had to one or more of said valves by stripping off said fabric and removing the corresponding pneumatics, the pneumatics and fabric may be again glued in place so as to make an air tight joint again.

It will be understood that changes and modifications may be made without departin from the spirit of the invention.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A pneumatic action comprising a board or chest member having: chambers formed in its upper portion, windway formed in its lower portion, a pneumatic closing said windway, avalve controlling pneumatic, and passage leading from each pneumatic to the windway.

2. A pneumatic action comprising a board or chest member having; valve chambers formed in its upper portion, and having a windway formed in its lower portion and a pneumatic closing said windway.

ll. pneumatic action comprising a board or chest member having valve chambers formed in its upper portion, and having a windway formed in its lower portion, and also having ducts or passages from said valve chambers to the under surface of said board or member, a pneumatic closing said windway and connections between said pneumatic and said duct or pas :e.

4:. A pneumatic act-ion conuorislng a board or chest member having chambers formed in its upper portion, a windway formed in its lower portion, a. pneumatic closing said windway, a valve provided in one of said chambers, a passage leading from said pneumatic to the valve chamber and thence to the windway, a passage leading from said windway to the other chamber, a port leading from said chamber to a valve controlling pneumatic, and connections from said pneumatic to the valve provided in said first mentioned chamber.

A pneumatic action chest having a member provided with a valve chamber in its upper portion, and a windway in its lower portion, and also having a port commui'iicating with said valve chamber and windway, in combination with a valve controlling pneumatic secured within said windway and havin a rod extendin u 3 throu h said Jort b O t) and a valve controlling said port and resting upon the 111 per end of said rod.

6. A pneumatic action comprising a board or member having its upper portion pro vided with chambers one of which is for a valve, said board also having ducts leading from said chambers to the under side of the board, the under side of said board being cut away to form a windway, cross boards separated from one another and secured to tion of the board or member forming the upper wall of the same, the under members of said pneumatics being movable, rods secured to said movable members of said pneumatics and having their ends bent upwardly and supporting said valves, ducts between the second mentioned chambers in the upper portion of said board or member, said ducts communicating with the interior of said pneumatics, metal thimbles having bleed ports interposed between said second mentioned chambers and said windway, disks having ports secured to the top of said board or member so as to form the upper walls and provide ports for said valve chambers, and other disks secured to the top of said windway and closing said second mentioned chambers.

7. A pneumatic action chest having its under side provided with cross strips or boards separated'from one another to form intervening spaces, in combination with a layer of fabric extending along the under surface of said board or member and closing said spaces.

8. A pneumatic action chest having its under side provided with cross strips or boards separated from one another to form intervening spaces, in combination with a layer of fabric extending along the under surface of said board or member and closing said spaces, and pneumatics secured to the under surface of said board and fabric.

9. A pneumatic action consisting of a board or member having valve chambers and ducts or pasasges, and also having a longitudinally extending groove or recess forming a windway, in combination with cross strips arranged crosswise of said board or member at the outer side of said windway, and a layer of thin material arranged outside of said cross strips.

10. A pneumatic action consisting of a board or member having valve chambers and ducts or passages, and also having a longitudinally extending groove or recess forming a windway, in combination with cross strips arranged crosswise of said board or member at the outer side of said windway, and a layer of thin material arranged outside of'said cross strips, and valve controlling pneumatics confined within said windway and located between said cross strips.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 3d day of June, A. D. 1914.

ADOLPH PETER GUSTAFSON.

Witnesses:

A. MILLER BELFIELI), A. LYDA JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

